Jack Nicklaus Explains Why He Always Spoke With The Media During His Playing Days
The Golden Bear never avoided the media.
Players talking, or not talking, with the media after rounds isn't a new talking point in the world of professional golf, but the topic has reached new levels during the 2025 PGA Tour season.
While Jack Nicklaus may have played his golf amidst an entirely different media landscape and in a world where social media didn't exist, he shared his opinion on the player-media dynamic.
During Tuesday's press conference ahead of this week's Memorial, a signature event hosted by Nicklaus, a reporter cited Rory McIlroy not talking to the media during the PGA Championship before specifically asking Nicklaus if he believed "stars have a responsibility" to speak with the media.
"I'm not going to talk for Rory or anybody else, I'll talk for myself," Nicklaus began. "I've always felt that you guys have a job to do -- and gals -- and for you to do your job you need to talk to me. And whether I played well or whether I played poorly, if you still want to talk to me, I'll talk to you. And I always have."
McIlroy isn't the first, nor will he be the last star of the game to opt not to speak with the media after rounds; he's just the latest big name to do so.
His avoidance of the media all four days of the PGA Championship, however, was a strange move.
Outside of Tiger Woods and maybe Phil Mickelson, nobody over the last two decades has answered more questions and fulfilled more media obligations than McIlroy. This doesn't make it okay, especially from a public perception viewpoint, for him not to speak with the media for four days at not just a major championship, but his first major championship after completing the career Grand Slam by winning this April's Masters.
McIlroy isn't just a star of the game, he's solidified himself as his generation's greatest player. This doesn't mean he's obligated to speak with every reporter at every tournament, but answering a few questions here and there goes a long way, and avoids this exact scenario that's unfolding where he's undergoing scrutiny for not talking.